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PRESIDENT Arroyo on Monday reiterated her advocacy for
federalism as a means to end the Mindanao conflict, as
it will pave the way for the creation of the
controversial Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE).
The
President made the statement at a state luncheon in
honor of visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin at
the Palace Rizal Hall, while thanking the Swiss
government for its “willingness to share in its
experience of federalism” through the Institute of
Federalism in the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
“We
advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting
peace in Mindanao,” she said, in remarks certain to fuel
apprehension in the Senate that Charter change was part
of the agenda for the Executive’s wanton ease in giving
away wide concessions to the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) that would require constitutional
amendments.
A Palace
briefing paper on Philippine-Swiss relations said the
University of the Philippines’ Center for Local and
Regional Governance (UP-CLRG) has been coordinating with
the Institute of Federalism for a three-year
cooperation/partnership beginning 2007 in information
dissemination, expertise development and academic
exchanges on federalism studies.
The
cooperation provides for a “Dialogue on Federalism
Series, Unbundling Federalism,” which aims to stimulate
“frank and honest public discussion on issues of
federalism to further shed light on its features,
advantages and disadvantages, and to bring academe and
other stakeholders in the region to expand their
understanding of federalism and its relevance to the
Philippine multicultural society.”
Press
Secretary Jesus Dureza said in a news briefing the
President has been a long-time advocate of federalism,
but lawmakers would still determine how this would be
done.
“We have
been saying that for a long time, that federalism is the
way forward and it should not only be I think federalism
for the Bangsamoro, for parts of Mindanao. An
opportunity should be given to the whole country to
avail [itself] of the reform effects of federalism,”
Dureza said.
But he
clarified that the President’s statement calls “for a
constitutional amendment...to bring about the BJE.”
Meanwhile, senators echoed suspicions on Monday that
Charter change (Cha-cha), which could extend President
Arroyo’s term beyond 2010, is the hidden agenda behind
the controversial memorandum of agreement (MOA) the
government wants to sign with the MILF, after
Presidential Adviser Hermogenes Esperon confirmed that
the MOA on ancestral domain would require such
amendments.
Senate
Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. advised Esperon
against meddling in political matters. “Esperon should
not meddle in issues about political structures. For a
start, he is not qualified in his present position. Let
us ask him about what happened in the cases of
extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances [during
Esperon’s tenure as Armed Forces chief]. He could be a
big help there but on issues of peace negotiations, I am
very sorry to say he doesn’t fit.”
Pimentel
indicated that opposition senators are set to meet to
firm up a position on Esperon’s revelation linking
Charter change to the peace deal with the MILF.
Sen.
Loren Legarda appealed to administration officials to
stop misusing peace with MILF rebels just to push an
underhanded scheme to amend the Constitution for a
hidden agenda.
She
added that Esperon is not in a position to “demand that
Congress prioritize Cha-cha to be able to have peace in
Mindanao so he could later turn around and blame
Congress for not passing Cha-cha in case a full-blown
war erupts in Mindanao.”
Sen. Mar
Roxas said Esperon’s statement on the need for Chacha
only proves what many people have suspected all along
about the motives of the administration.
Dureza
said the BJE can only be created after a long process
that includes the signing of the MOA on Ancestral Domain
which has been temporarily held back by the Supreme
Court; the passage of an enabling law for a plebiscite
on the areas to be included in the BJE; and
constitutional amendments.
In
another interview, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita
expressed confidence that the fighting between
government troops and an MILF lost command will not
escalate and will not adversely affect peace talks with
the MILF.
In a
phone patch interview with Palace reporters arranged by
Dureza, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said
that as of 1:30 p.m. that day, a total of 12,582
families have fled affected areas in North Cotabato–4,582
families are in the evacuation centers while 12,000
other families are staying with relatives outside the
conflict areas.
Cabral
said P1.5 million in relief goods have been distributed
to the evacuees living in and out of the evacuation
center. |
